Law & Order: SVU Star Reveals How She Supported Fan-Favorite Ship by Changing 1 Simple Line

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For a show that has been on the air for so long, it’s impossible not to have several fandom ships. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Kelli Giddish explains how changing one single line made a fan-favorite on-screen relationship that much better.

Giddish, who portrays NYPD Detective Amanda Rollins on Law & Order: SVU, recalled shooting a scene in which her character’s marriage with Peter Scanavino’s Assistant District Attorney Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. is complimented by Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson. “Benson is like, ‘Your husband’s gold, you know? He did this and that, and now he was able to get this.’ And my line was, ‘If he could only unload a dishwasher,” Giddish explained.

The actress, who just returned to the show, explained, “I was like, ‘Can we change that to ‘And he even knows how to load a dishwasher,’ ” Giddish continued. “She’s just putting it into a positive light, because that’s where I feel like we are right now. They really appreciate each other. They respect each other. They’re gonna disagree with each other. They’re gonna give each other s–t — just like a stable, supportive relationship will…”

She also praised her costar, Peter Scanavino, for their real-life support, which was the basis of Rollisi. “It’s really rooted in our mutual respect for each other off screen, the easy chemistry we have as friends and as husband and wife on the show. There’s moments that we create and that are written that I think the audience is really gonna take enjoyment out of.”

Giddish made her debut as Rollins during Law & Order: SVU Season 13. In that time, Rollins has gone from a somewhat reckless detective to one of the series’ most capable and considerate characters. Three seasons later, Scanavino made his own Law & Order: SVU debut as Detective Carisi, who was initially brought in to replace Danny Pino’s Nick Amaro when the latter was temporarily reassigned to Queens. Over the years that followed, Carisi and Rollins embarked upon an unexpected romance, which culminated in their marriage not long after Carisi left the NYPD to become an ADA.

Why Another Fan-Favorite Law & Order: SVU Romance Might Pay Off Sooner Than Expected

Elliot Stabler, wearing a blue suit, walks beside Olivia Benson in a black suit from Law & Order

Rollisi might be canon, but it’s not the only ship on the show. Back in September, Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay gave fans a glimmer of hope that the long-standing romantic tension between her Captain Olivia Benson and Christopher Meloni’s Detective Elliot Stabler might finally blossom into something more substantial sooner than later.

While teasing Meloni’s upcoming guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU, Hargitay told fans to “never give up hope” that Stabler and Benson will finally admit their feelings for one another. If so, it would offer another way to tie the events of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, which Meloni has led the cast of since returning to the franchise.